Tough Economic Times Ahead As Wheat Price Rise
By Getrude Mathayo / Published February 10, 2021 | 10:25 am KEY POINTS
A tonne of wheat has increased by 30 percent to 33,000 shillings from 25,300 shillings sparking a rally both on bakers and standard flour.
Kenyans continue paying more for a loaf of bread and wheat flour amid disruption on imports and rising international prices of the cereal.
Prices have been on an upward trend since the last quarter of 2020 and spiked in the past month after Russia, the world’s largest exporter, slapped export taxes on wheat and grain export quotas.
The rising price of wheat has made its products costlier. Almost all brands of bread have also recorded a price increase, with a 400-gram loaf that has been retailing at 50 shillings for the last four years now selling at 55 shillings.
2021-01-15 14:35:43 GMT2021-01-15 22:35:43(Beijing Time) Xinhua English
NAIROBI, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) Kenya is expected to continue its dependence on wheat imports as the demand for the cereal is increasing at a rate faster as compared to domestic production, an industry official said on Friday.
Anthony Kioko, CEO of the Cereal Growers Association (CGA), told Xinhua in Nairobi that the east African nation has sufficient land to grow enough wheat to satisfy local demand. Land in the traditional wheat-growing areas is being converted into other uses or being subdivided and this affects wheat production, Kioko said.
Data from the ministry of agriculture indicates that Kenya s consumption stands at 900,000 tons per year against local production of 350,000 tons per annum.